Community-based GIS Education: A Twin Cities Experiment

Robert B. McMaster, Helga Leitner, Eric Sheppard, and Sarah Elwood
Department of Geography
University of Minnesota

The paper will report on a research project in Minneapolis to educate community groups on the potential for GIS in assessing environmental quality and in conflict resolution around environmental issues. Within the academic community, the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) database, created as a result of the Federal Act of 1986, has become widely used to assess social and spatial inequities in the risks associated with potential exposure to these chemicals, triggering a widespread debate on environmental justice. The methodologies being developed for this research are of direct relevance to communities wishing to assess and respond to the risks associated with the local presence of firms both manufacturing and storing toxic and hazardous chemicals.

Working through the Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization, and in conjunction with Citizens for a Better Environment, three neighborhoods have been identified as case studies. Currently, we are setting up relationships with community groups in these neighborhoods to complete the following:

1. As part of the project, a variety of spatial data on hazardous materials, the location of various institutions (e.g, day care centers), and census data will be provided, at no expense, to the community organizations. A data inventory of existing public domain sources will also be provided, and communities will be invited to add their own information and data needs to this directory.

2. We will provide expertise to the communities in digital mapping, geographic information systems, and rudimentary geographical analysis. At least one half-day workshop on GIS will be provided in each neighborhood.

3. We will do everything possible to make GIS software available to members of the community groups and will provide basic training.

4. We will provide each community with the detailed findings of the study. Since our primary goal is to ascertain how, exactly, community groups might utilize GIS in the analysis of environmental risk and in solving locational conflict issues, we plan to work with each group as they learn the capabilities of such spatial technologies. One of our major research objectives is to empower such organizations, to the extent possible, with these technologies.